Cindy Prascik's Review of Zack Snyder's Justice League

 

My dear reader(s), this weekend has brought us a great gift. No, it's not the first day of spring or even the (hopefully) impending end of Covid, but rather the long-awaited "Snyder Cut" of Justice League.

Spoiler level here will be...mild(ish), I guess.

Probably everybody - or at least everybody who'd bother to read this - knows the story of 2017's Justice League. Midway through building his DC Universe, a personal tragedy caused Snyder to exit the film. Joss Whedon stepped in and made a very Marvel-colored DC movie, maligned by critics and fans alike. In anticipation of the release of the Snyder Cut, I rewatched the original last week, and was reminded that I did enjoy it in a very Marvel-ish way, that is, I laughed at its goofiness and forgot it the minute it was over. The four-hour Snyder Cut...*that* I enjoyed in a very DC way, that is, I loved every minute and will hold it in my heart forever.

Let's start with Master Wayne. Batman is my favorite A-List hero (the Tick is my overall favorite, if anyone wondered), and Ben Affleck is my favorite Batman by far. Cocky but world weary, strong but fading, his take on the character wouldn't be out of place in any dramatic awards darling. In the theatrical release of Justice League, Batman was basically reduced to comic relief, an insult to the Caped Crusader's legacy. The Snyder Cut reinstates him as the quarterback of this team of heroes.

While the movie retains the darker tone for which DC is noted, there is a good bit of humor, mostly from Aquaman (Jason Momoa) and Flash (Ezra Miller). Gone are the Iron Man-esque wise cracks in every scene that were forced into the theatrical release. The movie does not miss them.

Gal Gadot shines as Wonder Woman, Diana doing her part to lead the team and perhaps temper Bruce Wayne's hardness and cynicism. It's also worth noting that Wonder Woman has the coolest musical cue of all the heroes.

Henry Cavill remains a perfect Superman, and maybe the very best news about the Snyder cut is that it's missing the awful CGI moustache erasure that made such a laughingstock of the theatrical cut from its very first moments.

Finally, we come to Victor Stone. Snyder has called him the heart of the film, and he definitely benefits from added screen time and a more fleshed-out backstory. A leader though he's just a kid, Ray Fisher's Cyborg is the glue that holds Justice League together. I know I speak for many when I say, if DC made a feature with Fisher's Cyborg and Miller's Flash, I'd be there with bells on.

The Snyder Cut boasts some super effects, especially on the villian Steppenwolf; in fact, its visuals are quite stunning nearly every step of the way. The film features an epic score by Junkie XL. There are plenty of surprises/Easter eggs for DC fans, and I don't mind admitting that I got a bit choked up by certain frames of the movie. If the picture has a fault, it's that all that super slo-mo does get a bit exhausting, but mostly it is, in every way, the epic big screen endeavor that the world's greatest heroes deserve.

Zack Snyder's Justice League runs a whopping 242 minutes and is rated R for "violence and some language."

As a DC fangirl, I am happy to report Zack Snyder's Justice League is everything I'd hoped for. Of a possible nine Weasleys, Zack Snyder's Justice League gets all nine...and I'm watching it again as I type this!

Fangirl points: Song to the Siren makes a brief appearance here, and even though it's a cover instead of Tim Buckley's original....I'll take it!

Zack Snyder's Justice League, along with his director's cut of Batman v Superman, is now streaming on HBO Max.

MOVIE REVIEW: ZACK SNYDER'S JUSTICE LEAGUE

 

In ZACK SNYDER'S JUSTICE LEAGUE, determined to ensure Superman's (Henry Cavill) ultimate sacrifice was not in vain, Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) aligns forces with Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) with plans to recruit a team of metahumans to protect the world from an approaching threat of catastrophic proportions.

Director: Zack Snyder

Cast: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Amy Adams, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, Ray 
Fisher, Ciarán Hinds

Release Date: March 18, 2021

Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy 

Rated R for violence and some language 

Runtime: 4h 2min 

Review:

Zack Snyder's Justice League had a long and tragic road to becoming a reality.  Joss Whedon's cobbled together Frankenstein film isn't terrible but it just reeks of shooting for the lowest common denominator, what works is mainly due to the cast.  Regardless of that, the Whedon film felt nothing like Snyder's lead in, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, an overstuffed film but one with a clear vision.  The last time we've been able to see two separate versions of the same film was in the early 2000's when both Renny Harlin's Exorcist: The Beginning and Paul Schrader's Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist were both released with one film being the result of studio meddling, sadly both films were terrible for different reasons.  Against all odds, Zack Snyder's Justice League is a opus that hits all the right marks without any of cheesy one liners of the Whedon film.  Snyder's film is entirely his own entity from the start and fits in perfectly with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.  Perhaps the most interesting thing about the whole thing is that while it's much more serious than the Whedon film, it's never an overly dour affair.  There's well placed levity throughout with Ezra Miller's Flash carrying the comedic load and it never feels fake or forced.  Even more surprising is the amount of heart and character building on display in this film, something that's been lacking from the majority of Snyder's previous films.  

This film gave Ray Fisher's Cyborg a real emotional arch and the character himself feels more like a fully realized creation with understandable motivations and emotions.  Ciarán Hinds's villain Steppenwolf is given more depth than he did in the original which works in the character's and story's favor.  Likewise, Jason Momoa's Aquaman isn't the over the top dudebro from the original release which makes his character far more interesting and nuanced.  This approach gives Momoa the chance to actually display some real acting chops and he does incredibly well.  Ben Affleck's Batman is more hopeful in this version without having to use goofy one liners.  Henry Cavill's resurrected Superman is saved from bad facial CGI and it's nerdy fun to see him don the black suit but his story is more or less unchanged. Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman gets a far better shake in this version as well, those complaining about the lack of action in Wonder Woman 84 from the Amazonian will find plenty to love here.  The action sequences themselves are also a revelation, the major set pieces are more or less the same but Snyder's version are stylized 300 esque battles that deliver an appropriately epic scope.  Steppenwolf's attack on Themyscira early on serves as a prime example of how Snyder's action worked much better on multiple levels, it helps that Connie Nielsen's Hippolyta is given more screen.  Much like the action, the story itself is cleaner and more efficient here which makes you wonder why some of the changes were even made in the first place.  It's a testament to how engaging the story and characters are that its four hour runtime rarely feels oppressive.  There aren't many scenes that feel superfluous, instead they all serve the character's story.  Zack Snyder's Justice League is an achievement on multiple levels, it's both ground and personal but epic in scope.  Comic book fans will find plenty to love in this version while DC fans will finally get to see their hero's in film they deserve which makes the sequel set up all that more painful.

A-